Deck 12: Punishment for Crime

Question 1

One of the first principles of our justice system is __________ treatment.

A) fair
B) equal
C) swift
D) objective

Answer 1

equal

Question 2

The American justice system asserts that people should be punished in proportion to __________.

A) their class
B) their wealth
C) the seriousness of their crime
D) their level of education

Answer 2

the seriousness of their crime

Question 3

__________ is defined as causing a person to experience pain, loss, or suffering because of his or her wrongdoing.

A) Punishment
B) Justice
C) Sentencing
D) Criminal law

Answer 3

Punishment

Question 4

__________ assumes that an offender deserves punishment and does not focus on the victim.

A) Utilitarianism
B) Deterrence
C) Justice
D) Retribution

Question 5

The __________ approach to punishment considers the consequences of the penalty and what society hopes to achieve.

A) utilitarian
B) deterrence
C) justice
D) retribution

Question 6

The __________ view of punishment suggests that it should be deserved and should do some good to someone.

A) balanced
B) compromise
C) two-sided
D) conditional

Question 7

__________ suggests a set of ethical norms of criminal justice from a Christian perspective.

A) Emil Brunner
B) John Hospers
C) L. Harold DeWolf
D) Howard Zehr

Question 8

Victims of crime are often not compensated because they lack __________.

A) financial resources
B) knowledge of the law
C) legitimate experiences
D) community support

Question 9

__________ Justice thinks of crime as an action directed against another person and the community, instead of against the state.

A) Healing
B) Restorative
C) Compensatory
D) Balanced

Question 10

"An eye for an eye" is an example of __________ justice.

A) restorative
B) utilitarian
C) retributive
D) blind

Question 11

Despite its respect for life, the Hebrew scripture does sometimes call for __________ in response to a crime.

A) punishment
B) physical pain
C) humiliation
D) death

Question 12

__________ suggests that the fear of punishment may prevent people from committing a crime at all.

A) Retribution
B) Social sanction
C) Deterrence
D) Restorative justice

Question 13

The American system of justice recognizes __________ as a legitimate means of reacting to crime.

A) self-defense
B) violence
C) vengeance
D) revenge

Question 14

Which of these is a common question in the debate over capital punishment?

A) Is capital punishment safe?
B) Is capital punishment satisfying?
C) Is capital punishment sufficient?
D) Is capital punishment ever right?

Question 15

The current justice system concentrates primarily on __________.

A) the criminal
B) the victim
C) the economic cost of crime
D) society

Question 16

Which approach to justice asks, "What do we hope to achieve by taking action against the offender?"

A) deterrence
B) utilitarian
C) restorative
D) retribution

Question 17

__________ justice can be difficult to apply, because it requires us to strike a balance that is hard to quantify.

A) deterrence
B) utilitarian
C) restorative
D) retribution

Question 18

Punishment is saved from vindictiveness only when we recognize that __________ shares in the responsibility for a crime.

A) the offender
B) the victim
C) society
D) the education system

Question 19

According to Crime and Justice in America, our system should be evaluated, in part, on the presumption of __________.

A) punishment
B) innocence
C) guilt
D) the will of society as superior to the individual

Question 20

Unlike our modern system, Saxon England required criminals to __________.

A) do public works
B) join the priesthood
C) leave the country
D) make payments to the victim

Question 21

Can victims ever really be compensated for a crime? If so, how? If not, why not?

Question 22

Does punishment work? What forms of punishment do you believe are most effective and why?

Question 23

How would our modern justice system have to change in order to bring it into compliance with Hebrew laws?

Question 24

Write your argument - either for or against) capital punishment. Be sure to explain your reasoning in detail by citing to ethical principles.

Question 25

Make a pie chart depicting how much the following parties should be served by a punishment: the victim, the offender, society.

Question 26

Compare the different forms of punishment. Do they all achieve the same goals by different means? If not, how might their outcomes differ?

Question 27

How can Christian ethics help to guide the justice system into moral decision making? In what ways are Christian ethics already at work in our system?

Question 28

What role does poverty, the lack of a good education, and other societal failures play in causing crime?

Question 29

Does capital punishment serve the needs of the victim? Does it address societal concerns? How?

Question 30

How can Christians make sense of the competing interests of the sanctity of life and the retributive goals of capital punishment?